More Lottery funding for Harrow – and less Whitehall interference

Bob Blackman backs plans to increase funding for local good causes

• A National Lottery Independence Bill would free the Lottery from ministerial inference, return it to good causes and make it accountable to Parliament rather than the Government.
• End the waste of Lottery funds going to dubious projects which undermine public confidence. All Lottery distributors would be required to take into account the reputation of the Lottery as a whole when deciding grants.
• National Lottery distributors’ administration costs would be capped, and the savings ploughed back into good causes.
• The way that Lottery tickets are taxed would be changed, moving away from a per-ticket tax to a gross profits tax on the Lottery operators. This would allow the operator more freedom to increase sales and therefore returns to good causes.
• This package of measures could see an extra £182 million per year for grassroots sports, arts projects and the voluntary sector – equivalent to £280,000 per Parliamentary constituency, every year. This is enough money to pay for four grass pitches, two flood-lit outside tennis courts, or save an arts organisation which has experienced funding cuts by the Arts Council.

• National Lottery Independence: Conservatives will introduce a National Lottery Independence Bill to free the Lottery from ministerial inference, return it to the original good causes and make it accountable to Parliament rather than the government. This would champion that founding principle of ‘additionality’ – i.e. funds are spent in ways that are additional to the government’s own spending.

• More money for good causes: These proposals could release an extra £182 million per year for good causes. The Big Lottery Fund distributes £630 million each year, with 84 per cent going to voluntary and community sector [VCS] projects. This means that 16 per cent or £101 million goes on non-VCS projects. We would stop the funding of non-VCS projects once existing commitments have been made, so freeing up £101 million. We calculate that £36 million can also be freed up through efficiency savings across the National Lottery distributors. An additional £45 million could be raised through the introduction of a Gross Profit Tax regime (according to calculations by Camelot and PricewaterhouseCoopers).

• Accountability: Conservatives will end the wasting of Lottery funds on projects which undermine public confidence in it. We will ensure Lottery distributors follow a ‘reputational impact’ clause. All Lottery distributors would be required to take into account the reputation of the Lottery as a whole when deciding grants.